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James Pennington
James Pennington was an abolitionist.
He was born a slave in Maryland. As a young man he worked as a stonemason and
blacksmith. In 1827, when he was about twenty years old, he escaped to Pennsylvania.
There, a friendly Quaker took him in. The Quaker taught him to read and write.
The Fugitive Blacksmith is his autobiography. It was published in a magazine
called the Afro-American in 1859.
 Read and listen to the entire passage from James Pennington's autobiography. Go to the interactive »
(Clicking on the link will open a new browser window)
Note: The audio you will hear is a dramatic reading of the text.
Look at a short section of the narrative:
What slaves on a tobacco plantation might do on a Sunday afternoon in November.
How Pennington felt on the day of his escape.
What Pennington thought might happen to his family after he left.
If Pennington knew what direction to take to freedom or how far he had to go.
Read another primary source document.
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